Base for cardboard figures.



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Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Faro.

ROBERT GILLESPIE FRASER, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BASE FOR CARDBOARD FIGURES.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ROBERT G. F nAsER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Base for Cardboard Figures, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates particularly to miniature cardboard figures in the shape of dolls and the like, and the object of the invention is to provide an improved form of base for holding the cardboard figure. IVood and metal are ordinarily employed for the purpose; aside from the expense, they leave much to be desired in the direction of convenience in applying the base to the figure and the secure holding of it in place.

My invention has in view the production of a base that will be exceedingly light, will involve a minimum cost of manufacture, will afford increased facility for the placing of the said figure in the said base, and a greatly improved gripping effect of the base on the figure. Incidentally also, the base permits of employing a figure made from much lighter cardboard than is really practical with a wooden or metallic base.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a base with a figure placed therein; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the base without the figure; Fig. 3 is a section corresponding to the line 33 of Fig. 2, but showing the base flexed to enlarge the space between the clamping sections; Fig. 4 isa section similar to Fig. 3, but showing the base in its normal, fiat position, and with the lower portion of the cardboard figure indicated as in place in the base; Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a plan view indicating what is perhaps the preferred form for the making of the device in large quantities, that is to say, of round configuration, the form shown in the other figures being polygonal.

In carrying out the invention my improved base is formed with a bottom 10 of flexible paper board, and clamping sections 12 secured on said bottom 10, the sections Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 24, 1910.

Patented Aug. S, 1911.

Serial No. 599,218.

being separated normally by narrow slits 13, and the bottom being adapted to be flexed, as indicated in Fig. 3, for the purpose of widening the space bet-ween the sections, whereby to readily enter therein a cardboard figure such as indicated by the numeral 14 in Figs. 1 and 4. Each clamping section 12 is made up of corrugated members 15 and a top layer 16, both being formed of paper sufiiciently soft to present edges that will exert a yielding pressure against the figure 14.

The corrugated members 15, it will be observed, are disposed transversely to the clirection of the slit 13, and thus transversely to the surfaces presented by the bottom portion of the figure 14, and the construction results in two lines of clamping edges on each side of the figure, that is to say, the transverse corrugations 15 will present a varying line of contact, while the top layers 16 will present opposed, straight clamping edges. The result is that a much better gripping action is produced at different points of contact at both sides of the figure, the gripping efiect being much better than that afforded by bases having a continuous surface at each side of the figure. Moreover, the yielding character of the various clamping edges contributes to the holding action of the base on the cardboard.

The cardboard figure may be simply forced down into the slit when the base is in its flat position, but it may be found more convenient to flex the bottom to open the space between the sect-ions, as in Fig. 3, after which the forcing of the cardboard into place will bring the bottom into fiat position again, in which position any tendency of the sections to open will be resisted by the weight of the figure and by the normal tendency of the bottom member 10 to remain flat.

The base constructed as described withstands considerable knocking about withoutthe figure becoming displaced, or the parts being injured to a degree to impair its usefulness. Aside from its cheapness, the base has increased efficiency in gripping the figure, and it enables me to employ figures made from lighter cardboard than is prac tical with wooden or metallic bases.

In Fig. 6 the sections 12 are separated by a slit 13 and are the same as previously described, except that the base is made round instead of polygonal as in the other figures.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A base for clamping and supporting cardboard figures, comprising a bottom normally flat but adapted to be flexed, and clamping sections supported on said base and in close relation with each other to clamp the cardboard figure between them, the fiexure of the bottom serving to open or close the space between the sections; each of said sections being composed of corrugated members secured to the flat bottom of the base with the corrugations running transversely to the line of separation between the sections to present opposed varying lines of contact to an interposed cardboard figure, and a top layer of paper on each section over the corrugated members, said top layers presenting opposed, continuous, straight clamping edges.

2. A base for clamping and supporting cardboard figures, the same comprising a bottom layer, and clamping sections supported on said bottom and normally sepaclamping sections, spaced sufficient to receive between them the article to be supported, the said sections being formed of corrugated cardboard having the corrugations running toward the line of separation between the sections; and a bottom layer common to the two sections and forming a connection therebetween.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of -two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT GILLESPIE FRASER Vitnesses S. JUDsoN DUNAWAY, F. V LINDERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C. 

